SE Alaska had significant warming on 12/5 with rain and in some instances heavy rain due to warm overrunning. The Klondike Highway got 4 inches of snow then freezing rain for very hazardous driving conditions on the day and evening of 12/5.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.
SE Alaska had significant warming on 12/5 with rain and in some instances heavy rain due to warm overrunning. The Klondike Highway got 4 inches of snow then freezing rain for very hazardous driving conditions on the day and evening of 12/5. No wrecks were reported but the impact was ice and snow removal.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 5, 6:25 AM AKST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
625 AM AKST Tue Dec 5 2017
.SHORT TERM.../ Tuesday to Thursday / Low in the south central
gulf will move north to Prince William Sound by Tuesday afternoon,
with cold front tailing south for further developing waves on it
to follow Wednesday and Thursday. The low early Tuesday developed
on yesterdays frontal band and has turned the old cold front into
a warm front that will pass north over the panhandle by Tuesday
evening. Warm temperatures will have most locations reporting
rain, however higher elevations of the Klondike highway will stay
snow. Upgraded the White Pass Winter Storm Watch to Warning level
with 6 to 8 inches of accumulation through this evening.
Best precipitation rates look be west of Cross Sound to Icy Bay
with 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. The continued moderately
strong flow pattern will persist into Midweek so rain for the next
couple of days.
High pressure building over British Columbia under blocking ridge
aloft will keep the weather stalled to out over the gulf.
Continued 20 to 35 kt through the midweek period will help keep
the higher seas ongoing over the Gulf of Alaska.
Started with a NAM/GFS blend to refresh winds, mainly for the
later Wednesday to Thursday time frame. The NAM solution seemed
initialize the rain slightly better so it was was given a a little
more emphasis.
.LONG TERM...Thursday through Tuesday as of 930 PM Monday/ The
overall pattern for the extended period has not changed
substantially. The next chance for significant rainfall will be
Sunday night into Monday. There is ample Pacific moisture present
to receive 1.5-2" over a 12 hour period in the northern and
central panhandle with accompanying gusty winds. Light snow
accumulation will mainly be confined to the higher elevations and
along White Pass during this time.
Temperatures remain quite warm Thursday into Friday, with most
areas across the southeastern Alaskan panhandle reaching the mid
40s. Temperatures even at the 850 mb level show values that are
representative of "summertime" temperatures. Max temperatures
remained within model guidance for Thursday and Friday, but
temperatures for Saturday into Sunday were increased ever so
slightly within a degree or two. These temps were within guidance,
but we continue with the warm trend. Minimum temperatures were
increased for Thursday night due to overcast skies and decreased
for the Friday/Saturday period.
Changes to pressure relied mostly on WPC guidance, as again the
main low has progressed further east. The pressure drops by 12z
on Sunday, but after this time there is hardly any model support
later on in the period and expect there to be large associated
errors. The high hanging over the east of the panhandle
retrogrades slightly late Saturday.
Some main areas of concern for this timeframe were extensive
edits made to winds along the outer coast and POP fields. None of
the POP models completely captured Sunday-Monday's precip
pattern, but the SREF was relied on highly for POP blends and
temperature guidance during the beginning of the extended
timeframe.
&&
.AVIATION...Band of strong low level winds along coastline or
moving onshore. Most locations have forecast of wind shear with
the front passing through. Think area with best chance will be
Yakutat as a 60kt low level jet is to forecast to move by late
this afternoon. With the rain over the northern panhandle
ceilings have lowered to the 1500 to 3000 ft range, however
Yakutat will take the brunt of the heavier rains this afternoon so
think they will lower to just under a 1000 feet and visibility
will drop to near a mile in the heavier rain.
&&
.MARINE...Surface low over the central gulf with connection to
old frontal band moving north across the panhandle. Expect burst
of southerly winds in Lynn Canal Today and this evening so 25 to
30 kt winds developing, possibly 35, though didn't go quite that
high in the forecast. Gales for the outer coastal waters to
persist int Thursday. Seas 15 to 23 feet widespread over the gulf.
&&
.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Winter Storm Warning from 9 AM this morning to 9 PM AKST this
evening for AKZ018.
Strong Wind from 3 PM AKST this afternoon through this evening
for AKZ017-018.
MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ012-041>043-051>053.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-013-021-022-031>036.
&&
Bezenek/SS
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauSpecial Weather Statement National Weather Service Juneau AK 508 AM AKST Tue Dec 5 2017 AKZ017-060215- Cape Fairweather to Cape Suckling Coastal Area- Including the city of Yakutat 508 AM AKST Tue Dec 5 2017 ...CONSIDERABLE RAINFALL FOR THE NORTHEAST GULF COAST TUESDAY... A weather front is expected to come ashore the northeast gulf coast early this morning. A large stream of moisture is associated with the front, which will cause periods of heavy rainfall. Total rainfall accumulations through Tuesday night are expected to be between 2 and 3 inches near Yakutat. Rain will continue to fall over the area through Wednesday. Visibilities will be reduced during periods of heavy rain. Rivers will rise during this timeframe; however, with current river levels remaining low considerable impacts are not expected.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The Klondike highway got 4 inches on new snow with freezing rain on 5/12. No wrecks were reported but the impact was snow and ice removal.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2017
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 723806.